Adbusters

that text. For example, in an adbuster’s poster, the company uses the phrase, “Eat Fast, Die Young” as a way of attacking the Big Mac at McDonald’s. In society, we view McDonald’s Big Mac as tasty, delicious, and a source a fast-food material. The Adbuster campaign goes against normal cultural codes and gives the audience an alternative way to interpret the Big Mac (its very bad for one’s health and can lead to an early death). The audience’s lived experiences can also impact the interaction…

One of the characterizing elements of the occupation on Wall Street was the General Assembly meetings held nightly at 7 p.m., “The diversity of the crowd was immediately apparent. Those sleeping in the park, with grimy demeanor and clothing that signaled the rigors of camping out, stood next to smartly attired office worker, who had apparently dropped by on a detour from their evening commute.” (Writers of the 99% 26). Despite the difference within the ever growing crowd of demonstrators the…

In the documentary, Generation Like, author and FRONTLINE correspondent Douglas Rushkoff dives into the massive obsession of social media and how the “like” button that throws kids into an abyss of identity and connection correlates with corporations discovering a way to generate revenue off of likes, retweets, and followers. Chris Rojek, author of Cultural Studies, delves into how social media creates this social phenomenon through cultural hybridity, and how corporations use cultural genre and…

However, from the start, the alliance between the world's leading economic power, the world's largest colonial empire and the world's first Communist state was marked by mutual distrust and ideological tension. The Cold War began shortly after the end of World War II over disagreements on how postwar Europe should be rebuilt. While neither side ever “officially” fought the other, as the consequences would be too appalling with the Soviet Union’s Red Army and the Americans possession of the…

The first political cartoon to be introduced to America was Benjamin Franklin’s “Join or Die,” on May 9, 1754. Benjamin Franklin created this wood carved political cartoon to rally support to stop funding England’s war on the Indians and French. Since then political cartoons have become a popular way to communicate one’s opinions on American politics. Mark Bryan is a well known artist who has gained popularity over the past few years with his political cartoons. One of his most recent is titled,…

The Occupy Wall Street movement can be analyzed through the lens of Karl Marx and David Harvey. Harvey critiques the idea of self-regulating markets, or neoliberalism, because not everyone has an equal opportunity in the market and without any state intervention it becomes unfair to those stuck at the bottom. Marx writes about the class struggles between the proletariat and the bourgeois. The bourgeois have purchased the labor of the proletariat at a minimal price and therefore have alienated…

Taylor Jenkins Professor Sikkema Writing 150 December 4th, 2014 What actually is a “hipster”? We all have been walking and seen somebody who could be considered a hipster in our eyes, with a flannel shirt, big glasses, skinny jeans, and usually an artistic feel to them, because that is how we have been told all our lives what hipsters were. Modern-day society has painted a picture in everyone’s heads on what society should believe a hipster is, which is not always true for anything we are told.…

back up their claims other than their unhappiness with life in general. The ambiguity of their goals for the movement and lack of communicative ability (if there were specific demands) was their first downfall. In the original blog post sent out by Adbusters, it outlines the purpose of Occupying Wall…

All societies around the world have introduced laws and judicial systems in order to maintain order within its jurisdictions. These laws are meant to be impartial, neutral and objective in resolving social conflicts and protecting individuals in society (Little, 2012, p. 4). However, sometimes the purpose of law is questioned and the law itself is seen as unjust and in need of change. Throughout history, one can see how purposeful and organized groups have come together as a social movement to…